wishing or hoping for a shower or thunderstorm, that's possible, but it's not going to do much to cool the atmosphere down. let's go over to tonya with your traffic. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. still no major incidents on the highways traveling 97 northbound from parole. all lanes should be opened. let's look at the harbor tunnel southbound traffic goingi. >> the -- into the tunnel, no problems to report. we have overnight road construction that's wrapping up. also, utility work east monument between north highland and north dean street. north bradford near lafayette there's fire activity going on. >> thanks so much. it's 5:00 right now. new this morning, investigators will try to figure out what happened at the ronald mcdonald house last night. something made several people sick there. sherrie johnson is here to explain what happened. sherrie. >> reporter: well, pair med, arrived around 8:30 last night after several people complained of feeling sick. authorities are still trying to figure out what made them

nauseous. they were all staying at the ronald mcdonald's house near the university of maryland hospital. some were having dinner at the time. seven adults and three children from the house were rushed to the hospital. crews went into the house to check for co poisoning and anything else that could be hazardous. they didn't find any signs of danger and authorities say it's too soon to tell if it was a case of food poisoning. people at the house are away from their homes to take care of their sick children in baltimore. authorities plan to continue looking into the cause for the illnesses. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >> thanks. another scorcher expected and if you can believe it, today will be hotter than yesterday. with highs you probably will have your ac running over time to stay cool. bge says it has enough power to meet the demands and is ready in case of outages. but it's also asking that you find ways to conserve your energy during the heatwave. abc2 is working for you with ways to cut back on useage.

first, close the curtins and beelines to -- blinds to keep the sun out. and set the thermostat at 78. try to use major appliances like ovens and stoves and dryers andthose things that give a of heat in the evening. turn off appliances or electronics you don't need and for more tips on how to staycool and save energy, go to abc2news.com. we have a list of cooling centers in the city as well as closings due to the heat. click on the weather and the hot weather guide. two minutes after five. the investigation continues this morning into the electrocution of a bge subcontractor who was repairing power lines. the man was 30 to 35 feet up on the pole when he came in contact with live wires in bay front road which is in deale. his coworkers performed cpr until ems arrived and he didn't make it. officials say he worked for ellicott electrical and was subcontracted by bge. family and friends are mourning the death of a man who

drowned in pasadena while he was -- while his family was close. 46-year-old charles thompson jumped off the orchard beach community pier on tuesday night. he never resurfaced. search and rescue crews found his body an hour later next to the pier. the investigation is being treated as an accident and an autopsy is taking place to determine the cause of death. a former head of padonia swim club will spend a year and a half behind bars conjibbinged- child porn. ira rigger pleaded guilty. the padonia pood is in could beiesville and -- convicted of child porn. ira rigger pleaded guilty. the padonia pool is in cockeysville. the annual firehouse expo starts today and linda so is there telling us why things can get especially emotional this

year. linda. >> reporter: well, we are coming up on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. it's going to be a very special day here at the convention center with firefighters from around the country coming here to remember what happened that day ten years ago. and a lot of moving tributes are scheduled for that day. one of them is this dawn is here to tell -- don is here to tell us about it. better angels you have been work on it for a long time. >> a long time. i have about 3,000 hours in creating the thing and probably another 3,000 hours just trying to be here today talking to you. >> reporter: and this is kind of a smaller version of what's going on. it doesn't do justice to what is on display inside. can you tell us what it is? >> i painted all 343 of their portraits on burned blocks of wood upstairs on the wall. there's -- they are # 1 feet long and 4 feet high. i don't know. it's moving wall.

-- 41 feet long and 4 feet high. i don't know it's a moving wall. i left new york in 94 and living in colorado on 9/11. and i woke up to the clock radio to say that, i heard the guys said a plane flew into the world trade center i turned on the t -- center i turned on the tv and couldn't move. like millions of people. and i try not to cry when i say this because it comes there. but, three that afternoon, someone came on tv and said that we -- they thought 300 firefighters died that day. for me that burst my dam. that held everything of the day all the heroism and tragedy of the day was in that sentence. 12 days later the "new york times" printed a two-page spread with all of their pictures and their names and companies and when i saw thairks said, someday -- saw that, i said someday i can do

something about this. it took a couple years before i painted the portraits individually on burned block of woods. and preparing the burned wood took about a hundred hours. >> reporter: you said it means a lot for you to actually see people in front of this wall looking at these paintings. >> yes. yes. it's to have acrylic covers because they go up and touch them. i have to clean the fingerprints off every morning and maybe sometimes in the middle of the day, too. you see little kids with their parents who were born before this and kids -- excuse me after 9/11. some children who were born after i started painting the project even. they are so small. and you know, i am honored that they are moved. >> reporter: and, again, this is on display at the baltimore convention center which starts today. it goes on through saturday. we are told that the convention

will be open to the public on saturday from 10 to 3. so you can come see it here but dawn, you put this painting together and this massive wall with all the pick. it took six years and thanks so much for what you've done. i am sure people will certainly appreciate this. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: all right we will have much more later in thenewscast. live at the baltimore conventcenter, linda so, abc2 news. you know first it was a lockout and now a new set of problems. >> just ahead, why 75 former players are suing the league and sports equipment maker. and we hear it all the time, sleep is so important. isn't it mom? >> it is. >> a study finds if a coworker is suffering from lack of sleep, they could be out to get you. >> you better get some sleep, charley. we will. >> -- >> we will explain. i am suddenly afraid. you watching "good morning maryland" first and only at

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now "maryland's most powerful doppler radar and the forecast certified most

accurate by weatherate. good morning. and hopefully you have been keeping yourself hydrated because today we are really going need the fluid in our bodies. it's going to be a very hot day on tap and very humid. not picking up on any moisture coming down from the sky as of now. but we are going to be feeling it throughout the day. temperatures are in the upper 70s in joppa. 82 in glen burnie. 83 in d.c. upper 70s from clarksburg to columbia and annapolis. so as we go throughout the day, we are going to be feeling it. check out the hour by hour forecast. 85 by 8 p.m. and we will be 99 degrees with an excessive heat warning. now the traffic with tonya. >> reporter: good morning. not a bad morning. 95 is doing fine. also 795 southbound from reisterstown through owings mills to the beltway all lanes are open there. 95 just north of white marsh boulevard. no problems to report here. southbound traffic a little heavier to the left of your screen. right now on 95 northbound at

caton, we have some sort of incident on the feeder ramp. so watch out for emergency vehicles there. fire trucks at north bradford near east lafayette for a fire and utility work has an intersection shut down. east monument between highland and dean. megan. >> 12 minutes after 5. thanks so much. health news this morning, there's new recommendations when it comes to breast cancer screening to try to catch the disease a lot earlier. the american college of obstetrician and gynecologist recommended that women get mammograms once or twice between the ages of 40 and 50 years old. this morning, they say that the annual mammograms should start at 40 and not the age of 50. this is what the american cancer society recommends as well. the change they say is due to breast cancer affecting women at a younger age. 75 former nfl players are suing the league and sports equipment maker rydell claiming they concealed information about the dangers of concussions. now the suit claims that the

league knew for 75 years that concussions posed long-term health risk but didn't warn players, coaches or trainingers. the players suffer from headaches lost memories and dementia and depression as a result of repeated concussions suffered from bone jarring hits and tackles. well, if your coworker didn't get enough sleep last night, it might be the best --it might be in your best interest to avoid them. a lack of sleep doesn't just keep theme cranky but more likely to plot revenge. those who were sleepy were also more likely to blame others if something was wrong. they talked about how things could have turned out bet are but not to consider they could have done things maybe differently. i am going to sit over here. >> charley is 8 feet away from me. this will cheer you up. picture of the day. look at this. denise smith sent in this great picture of her cute little pug they call him snuffy. she watches us every morning

and snuffy has been trying to keep cool in this crazy july heat and what a better way to do it thanhang out on the raft on a poo. thanks for watching and send -- pool. thanks for watching and sending in the peckture. >> if you have interesting pictures to send in, morning show at wmar.com. be sure to include the important facts so we can get it right when we get it on the air. >> i might be suffering from lack of sleep but i am not out to get you. stay with us this morning. today is going to be a meeting of the minds in downtown baltimore. >> the focus is putting baltimore businesses as a priority. how the city is doing when it comes to tourism and moving forward. also ahead, it's a challenge the governor wants you to try. buy local. he is going to prove it is possible by putting his money where his mouth is. you are watching good morning maryland first and only at 4:30 in the morning.

welcome back. today a new exhibit will officially open at the maryland zoo. check out this guy. this is a eastern hell bender and known as the knot otter

devil dog allegany alligator is a native to western maryland and the exhibit will be in the underwater tunnel where the zoo's otters reside. he is going to hang out with the real otters. hell benders are creatures thatrecreates a nighttime scene to see them. the exhibit officially will be unveiled at 9:30 this morning those are ugly guys. >> oh they are cute. >> come on. >> i like them. >> lynette? >> my choice word is gross. >> unique. >> ugly. >> okay. unique, fine. okay so our temperatures for this morning you guys, they are very warm. 77 degrees right now in baltimore. we can see the upper 70s in hagerstown and wind chester and easton more of the same. so, you know we are going to be hot as we go throughout the day. we will throw in the fact we have the dew points on the high level. very oppressive in the 70s once again. so, the dew point into

baltimore is at 75. and that temperature is at 77. when you get the dew points and the temperatures close together, he won't be surprised to see patchy fog coming in this morning as well. hearts weather pattern with humidity -- here's the weather pattern with humidity and heat. hotter air -- humidity and heat. hotter air mock into the weekend. we have the excessive heat warning in place. satellite and radar not picking up on a lot. but throughout the day i. there could be a ice -- there could be a isolated shower or thunderstorm. tropical storm bret and tropical storm cindy are moving away from the united states and that's the way we want to keep it. so for today, that temperature coming in right around 99 degrees. it's going to feel like we are about 110. it's going to be extremely uncomfortable. using charley's word, brutal as we go throughout the day. 78 degrees as we go through tonight. steam bath, hazy and sticky. this is the type of day and days you will have to take several baths and feel like you want to take several showers.

101 going through tomorrow. hotter with the heat index up to 115. all right. let's go over to tonya with your traffic. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. i can't get over this triple digits. oh, my. i am glad the traffic is not brutal. we are actually doing okay out there. no major problems to report between the baltimore beltway and capital beltway heading and commuting. this is the fort mchenry tunnel southbound. no incidents to report here. we are doing fine. traffic is flowing freely. a few incidents going on right now. 95 northbound at caton. there's an incident on the feeder ramp that's 95 northbound at caton. fire activity near east lafayette and utility work has the east monument between highland and dean closed down. >> thanks a lot. happening today, baltimore hosts the annual business meeting discussing the initiatives for the coming year. the event takes place at the hyatt regency baltimore. today the governor and maryland's first lady will join

the u.s. agriculture secretary to host the buy local cookout. it takes place at the governor's house. there are 17 different dishes feature at today's cookout. it is invitation only. and this is the launch event for the buy local challenge. the week starts on saturday and goes until sunday july 31st. it's hart to think about fall. >> i -- hard to think about fall. i think about it every day. >> retailers want you to. they are hoping you will escape the heat and go back to school shopping. what they are doing to get you in the stores. it's been the complaint at airports. body scanners. too invasive. what the tsa is doing to possibly help you protect your privacy. we will look. you are watching "good morning maryland" first and only at #:30. a live look this -- 4:30. a live look this morning at downtown baltimore.

now "good morning maryland." 5:24. republicans and democrats may have to pass a temporary debt

ceiling measure to stop the gft from -- government from going into default by august 2nd. president obama says he would be willing to okay that. before he said he would not accept the stopgap extension and he said he will only accept the temporary measure if it just is allowed in time for a broader plan to be put in place. if you think the full body scans at the airport are too invasive, you probably will like this story. the tsa is putting new software in the machines and you will be a generic outline of a person instead of a pass injure's full image. passengers will also be able to see the same outline that the tsa agents see and there's 500scanners at 78 different airports. 5:25. your kids may not be ready to go back to school yet but retailers are looking forward to it. second biggest retail season of the year is about to kick into high gear. you will find steals and deals or should you wait until they

get back into the classroom to shop. karin caifa has a look. >> reporter: during summer sweatering days, retailers want you to think fall and back to school shopping. some have stocked shelves for the retail season second to the holidays one expected to ring up over 68 billion dollars in sales this year. with the economy still shaky, the national retail federation expects families to spend but spend carefully. >> retailers know even though the recession is over, it's fresh on the minds of american families. >> reporter: the annual survey expects back to school spending to be flat compared to last year with the average family of grade school children spending $603 on clothes and shoes, and schools supplies and electronics and slightly less than 606 they spent in 2010. families with college age students will spend 808 on back to campus needs back from 835 last year. retailers plan to showcase

items where cautious consume kers get greater bang for the buck. >> this year's theme for back to school is not necessarily finding the best price but finding the best value. you will see retailers talking about quality merchandise or being able to have an extended warranty on something. in addition to good prices. >> reporter: sales will start early to get shoppers in store and consumers should keep an eye on social media for discounts, too. for consumer watch, i am karin caifa. >> well that's one of the most beautiful spots in the country. we are talking about yosemite. >> but this morning, it's thesite of a tragedy. what happened to a group of hikers that is has -- that has a community in shock. >> we-- we knew it was coming. money in exchange for a interview. what a tv producer is claiming she said to him. you are not going to believe this. you are watching "good morning maryland" first and only at 4:30. now new york for this morning's tech bites. >> reporter: in teed tech bites

the google -- today's tech bite,google search may give you more information if you do a search and it has a virus goog ll alert you. -- google will alert you. the fda is hoping to oversee the medical and health apps and is concerned about the risk if they don't work as advertised. by the year 2015, 500 million people are likely to be using some sort of health app and they is out whether cell phones emet radiation the city of san francisco is not waiting. the board of supervisors has voted to require stores to display radiation warning signs. and several video games will premier at comic com in san diego which opens today. more than 125,000 science fiction and science fans will attend make it an ideal venue to promote games. those are your tech bites, i am rob nelson.